After 20+ years of building, renovating, and maintaining homes, we’ve learned one thing above everything else: the exterior of your home takes the first hit every single season. So, when fall arrives, the outside of your home is where your attention needs to go first.
Fortunately, you don’t need to be a contractor to stay on top of it. You just need to know what to look for, what you can handle yourself, and when it’s time to call a pro. So, consider this your go-to fall exterior checklist, written the way a tradesman would walk through it.
Start at the Top: Your Roof
First and foremost, your roof is your home’s first line of defense against everything fall and winter throw at it. And yet, most homeowners never look at it until there’s already a problem.
Here’s what to look for from the ground or from a safe vantage point:
- Missing or damaged shingles. After summer storms, shingles can crack, curl, or go missing entirely. Even one compromised shingle creates an entry point for water.
- Flashing around chimneys, vents, and skylights. Specifically, flashing is the metal trim that seals the joints where your roof meets other structures. When it lifts or corrodes, water finds its way in fast.
- Moss or algae growth. While it might look harmless, moss holds moisture against your shingles and accelerates deterioration over time. Additionally, it’s a sign that water is sitting where it shouldn’t be.
- Sagging or uneven areas. These can indicate structural issues or water damage underneath the surface.
Inspect it yourself: Binoculars from the ground work well for a basic visual check. Look for anything that appears lifted, dark, or out of place.
Call a pro: If you spot missing shingles, damaged flashing, or any sagging, schedule a professional inspection before the wet season starts. Catching a roof issue in October is a repair. Catching it in January is often a much bigger problem.
Next, Your Gutters and Downspouts
Simply put, gutters are the most overlooked exterior system on most homes, and they’re one of the most consequential. Their entire job is to move water away from your home. When they’re clogged, that water has nowhere to go except where you don’t want it.
Here’s what to check:
- Debris buildup. Leaves, twigs, and granules from aging shingles all accumulate in gutters over the summer. By fall, they need to be cleared out before the heavy rain and leaf drop season begins.
- Sagging or pulling away from the fascia. Over time, gutters can separate from the roofline under the weight of debris and standing water. As a result, even a clean gutter won’t function properly if it’s not properly attached.
- Downspout direction. Water should be directed at least four to six feet away from your foundation. If your downspouts are dumping water right at the base of your home, you’re setting yourself up for foundation issues over time.
Inspect it yourself: After a rain, watch where water flows. If it’s spilling over the sides of your gutters rather than through the downspouts, you’ve got a clog or a pitch problem.
Call a pro: Professional gutter cleaning typically runs $100 to $200 for a standard home. By comparison, water damage from overflowing gutters can cost thousands. Schedule it before the leaves fully drop in your area, typically late October in the Piedmont Triad.
Then, Exterior Caulking and Weatherstripping
Next, walk the perimeter of your home and look at every place where two different materials meet: around windows, doors, where siding meets trim, and where pipes or wires enter the house. These are the spots where air and water sneak in.
Here’s what to look for:
- Cracked or missing caulk. Over time, caulk shrinks, cracks, and pulls away from surfaces. Consequently, gaps as small as a quarter inch can let in enough cold air to noticeably affect your heating bills.
- Worn weatherstripping on doors. If you can see daylight around a closed exterior door, you’re losing conditioned air every hour of every day. Fortunately, replacing weatherstripping is a straightforward fix that pays for itself quickly.
- Gaps around utility penetrations. Specifically, anywhere a pipe, wire, or vent passes through an exterior wall is a potential air and water entry point.
Inspect it yourself: On a cold or windy day, hold your hand near door and window frames. If you feel airflow, you’ve found a problem worth fixing.
Call a pro: re-caulking and weatherstripping are relatively affordable services with a direct return on your energy bills. For a typical home, addressing these gaps can reduce heating costs by a meaningful amount each month.
Also, Driveways and Walkways
Often overlooked, your driveway and walkways take a beating from freeze-thaw cycles every winter. Water seeps into small cracks, freezes, expands, and turns hairline fractures into significant damage over time.
Here’s what to address before temperatures drop:
- Seal asphalt driveways. Sealing fills small cracks and creates a protective barrier against water infiltration. Ideally, this should be done while temperatures are still consistently above 50 degrees, making fall the last viable window before spring.
- Fill concrete cracks. Even small cracks in concrete walkways and driveways should be filled before winter. Otherwise, water gets in, freezes, and makes them significantly worse by spring.
- Check for trip hazards. Heaved or uneven sections of walkway are a safety issue, especially when covered with wet leaves or ice. Now is the time to address them.
Inspect it yourself: Walk your driveway and all walkways and note any cracks wider than a credit card. Those are the ones that need attention before winter.
Call a pro: Driveway sealing and crack repair are cost-effective services that extend the life of your surfaces significantly. Replacing a driveway, by contrast, is a major expense that proper maintenance can delay for years.
Don’t Forget: Outdoor Faucets and Irrigation
Without question, this is the item most homeowners skip until it’s too late. A frozen outdoor faucet or irrigation line can burst and cause serious water damage, sometimes without you even knowing it until the thaw.
Here’s what to do before the first freeze:
- Shut off and drain outdoor faucets. Most homes have an interior shutoff valve for outdoor spigots. Turn it off, then open the outdoor faucet to drain any remaining water from the line.
- Disconnect and store garden hoses. A hose left connected to an outdoor faucet can trap water in the line and cause it to freeze back into the pipe.
- Winterize your irrigation system. If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, it needs to be blown out with compressed air before freezing temperatures arrive. This is not a DIY job for most homeowners.
Inspect it yourself: Walk your property and locate every outdoor faucet. Check that each one has an accessible interior shutoff and that hoses are disconnected.
Call a pro: Irrigation winterization is a straightforward service that protects a system that can cost thousands to repair or replace. Schedule it in September or early October, before the first hard freeze hits.
Finally, Decks and Patios
After a full summer of use, your deck and patio need some attention before you close them down for the season. Specifically, wood decks are the most maintenance-intensive, but all outdoor surfaces benefit from a fall once-over.
Here’s what to address:
- Clean and inspect wood decks. Look for soft spots, cracked boards, and loose fasteners. Additionally, check the ledger board where the deck attaches to your home, as this is a common point of water infiltration.
- Apply a sealant or stain if needed. If water no longer beads on your deck surface, the sealant has worn off and the wood is absorbing moisture. Fall is a good time to reapply before winter sets in.
- Store or cover outdoor furniture and grills. Leaving furniture exposed through winter accelerates wear and can cause rust, fading, and structural damage.
- Check patio pavers or concrete for shifting. Freeze-thaw cycles can heave pavers and crack concrete slabs. Addressing small shifts now prevents bigger problems in spring.
Inspect it yourself: Walk your deck and press on boards with your foot. Soft or spongy spots indicate rot. Also, check that railings are secure and that there’s no visible separation where the deck meets the house.
Call a pro: Deck cleaning, sealing, and minor repairs are services worth scheduling in September or October while the weather still cooperates for outdoor work.
Your Fall Exterior Checklist at a Glance
For quick reference, here’s the full list organized by what you can handle yourself and what’s worth scheduling with a pro.
Inspect It Yourself:
- Roof visual check (binoculars from the ground)
- Gutter debris and downspout direction
- Caulk and weatherstripping around doors and windows
- Driveway and walkway cracks
- Outdoor faucet shutoffs and hose disconnection
- Deck boards, railings, and ledger board
Schedule a Pro:
- Roof inspection if damage is visible
- Professional gutter cleaning (late October, Piedmont Triad)
- Re-caulking and weatherstripping service
- Driveway sealing and crack repair
- Irrigation system winterization (September or early October)
- Deck cleaning, sealing, and minor repairs
One Company for All of It
Traditionally, knocking out this list means coordinating multiple contractors, multiple phone calls, and multiple scheduling windows. That’s exactly the kind of friction that causes homeowners to put it off until something goes wrong.
At Inside Out Express, we handle everything on this list, inside and outside your home, through one company with one simple booking process. No phone tag. No waiting on quotes. Just online estimates, online booking, and online payment, entirely on your terms.
Ready to knock this list out without the phone tag? Book your fall exterior service online.
Get Your Online Estimate Today
Inside Out Express serves homeowners, realtors, property managers, and small businesses across the Piedmont Triad, including Winston-Salem and Greensboro. We handle everything inside and outside your home, with online estimates, online booking, and online payment. Maintenance made simple.